The Oregon Natural Resources Report - Agricultural News from Oregon

Kashi is latest food to go anti-biotechnology

Kashi, in a move almost certainly based on a desire to drive profits and not a strong-held belief, joined the legions of companies currently making very public, splashy moves toward non-GMO ingredients. Openly disclosing this action seeks to meet the “ever-evolving needs of our consumers,” the company showed its willingness to kowtow to the rantings of food elitists.

Tellingly, the press release issued by Kashi comes quickly on the heels of an agenda-driven campaign to “out” the health food maker’s use of foods produced with biotechnology. The declaration of the cowardly cereal creator’s about-face on biotechnology use fails to site new science, or any damaging information on biotechnology, that would explain the rapid move away from ingredients that have been used by the company since its inception more than two decades ago.

Instead, the nuevo-hippie equivalent of a corporate titan, chose to play the blame game. As a member of the Whole Foods-loving, any “green” embracing set so popular among luxury SUV-driving wannabe earth mothers, Kashi obviously has only used the ingredients because the food system needs to be changed, man. It’s “big ag” growing those bad crops.

So, let’s get this straight.

Ninety-five percent of U.S. farms are family farms. Families, farming together, grow crops used in the foods sold on grocery store shelves, be they at posh luxury grocers or supersaver chains, across the country. So, those big bad families are forcing tiny, little Kashi (owned by the ginormous Kellogg conglomerate, by the way, producer of Froot Loops) to use their GMOs.

The fact that running massive advertising campaigns like Kashi’s, something family farmers could never afford, indicates the size of the food industry giant does not jive with their flow. Face it, “Big Health Food,” buying, including and selling cereal made with GMOs for as long as you have shows one of two things. Either:

A.) You actually do believe that biotechnology is safe, as studies have repeatedly shown, and that their use helps produce an abundant affordable supply of quality food. As you have no data that indicate there is any reason other than pandering to baseless accusations against the technology, you decided to institute a policy against GMO use, that will take effect sometime in the future, because the 99 percent of the global population unable to eat did not have enough cash to be Kashi consumers in the first place.

Or

B.) You have only paid lip service to the idea of providing a quality, healthy product until this point and, rather than admit that, you prefer to just say that you are changing your policy, at least in a few years. Let’s face it, if they really believed biotechnology use was wrong or dangerous, Kashi would immediately cease production of any foods that contain biotech ingredients.

For a “movement” that wraps itself in touchy-feely images painted with broad, washed out brushstrokes, Kashi and its cohorts seem to espouse an approach to business where science and concern for the truth don’t sell, so marketing and public perception reign supreme.

It is time for the American public to take a long, hard look at the truth of the situation. The executives at companies do not sleep well at night because of their clear, blemishless social consciences; they sleep well at night because they sleep on 1,000-thread-count sheets paid for with the money of consumers they seem to confuse and guilt into buying truly tasteless cereal baked in an oven of propaganda and fear-mongering.

Discuss this article

I would be a complete moron to believe anything the National Corn Growers Association has to say about Kashi, Corn, or Gmo. A double edged sword. Straight propaganda. TRY HARDER.

anonymousMay 7, 2012

this article is a disgrace. whats your motivation in using the adjective “nuevo-hippie”. What is NCGA’s motivation, profits from the GMO corn they just planted or the health of humans and the environment. What is your science saying GMO corn engineered to produce BT-Toxin is safe to eat?

SamMay 8, 2012

“the 99% of the global population unable to eat did not have enough Kashi…” What does that even mean? Are you suggesting that 99% of the world’s population is unable to eat? Or, that 99% of hungry people are only hungry because they can’t afford Kashi. Horribly worded and useless either way.

Hey Cathryn, what’s your last name? I bet you write pro-nuke propaganda under different aliases, don’t you? Since most of Europe has now banned GMO in foods, your telling us all Europeans are luxury SUV-driving wannabe earth mothers? Don’t wash hon, change tune. FYI, the “real” members of the National Corn Growers Association don’t wholeheartedly support your position. Rather they side with Farm Aid and Willy Nelson, they want hemp reintroduced into agriculture so they plant it as a rotation crop and replenish their soil. Now that’s an idea I can support, also because one hemp harvest would produce four times the amount of ethanol!!! Put that in your pipe and smoke it.